Stranger Things by Erin Healy

In the forest’s burned-out hollow, a house of dark secrets also glows with bright promise.
Serena’s career as a high school biology teacher comes to a halt when an angry student makes shocking accusations. Stunned and suspended, Serena retreats to the forest where she usually finds peace of mind. But on this day she encounters a killer and his prisoner—as well as a stranger who dies to save Serena’s life.
The stranger, Christopher, had dedicated his life to rescuing girls from forced prostitution—starting with his sister Amber. They formed a tiny nonprofit organization to protect girls and have been working furiously to bring down John Roman, the powerful criminal who first took Amber and has ruined scores of young women's lives since.
When Christopher’s grieving colleagues suspect Serena of being in league with Roman, her life spirals further out of control. How will she clear her name? Why did this stranger protect her with his life?

Stranger Things by Erin Healy is an intriguing and powerful novel that speaks to the ultimate gift of a stranger giving his life to save another. What could be a stranger thing? And yet that is what Jesus Christ did for all of us, and in the same way Christopher died to save Serena from death. The plot line of this novel was well written and thought-provoking as important themes such as sacrifice, love, and forgiveness were intertwined into the tragedy, love, and mystery that filled the pages. I had trouble putting the book down as I was drawn into the suspense and unexpected twists that surrounded the fight to reveal the sex-trade ring that kidnapped young girls. While the subject matter was incredibly sad and tore at my heart, I enjoyed seeing how the characters began trusting God and putting together the pieces of the information they had to form the whole picture and to redeem the tragedies. Stranger Things contained Erin's unique blend of the supernatural and the physical, and the two mixed well as the story line played out. The characters were well developed and very realistic, and I liked seeing how they ended up working together. I really liked both Serena and Christopher. Christopher's overwhelming dedication and ultimate sacrifice showed a beautiful picture of what it means to give up one's life for another. Serena was a very conflicted character whose life was ripped out from under her, and she had to struggle to find out the truth and to do what was right in light of Christopher's sacrifice. Overall, I have loved all of Erin Healy's novels, but Stranger Things really caused me to think and to connect with the themes and the characters in a convicting way. I would highly recommend this novel for any reader looking for a suspense novel that has a touch of supernatural and a compelling storyline and theme.
I received this novel for free from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.